Amnesty International has today described the Scottish Government’s failure to deliver the long-awaited Human Rights Bill in its Programme for Government as “unjustifiable” and said that it represents “the breaking of a promise to people and communities in Scotland.”

The Bill was an SNP manifesto commitment to enshrine international human rights treaties into Scots law and plans were backed overwhelmingly by the public and civil society during a 2023 consultation. The proposed law would have secured a raft of fundamental rights into law for people in Scotland, including to housing, food and an adequate standard of living. 

But in its Programme for Government published today, the Scottish Government failed to commit to bringing forward the Bill this parliamentary year, instead offering only a vague statement of ongoing support for the proposals. This is despite the legislation initially being expected in the first half of this year.

The move follows warnings from over 100 charities and campaigners to the First Minister in May that the Bill was vital to tackling the human rights emergencies facing Scotland, including his flagship mission of ending child poverty.

Amnesty International has joined the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Consortium Scotland and others in calling on the Scottish Government to undertake an urgent rethink and commit to the introduction of the Bill by February 2025 at the latest. 

Neil Cowan, Scotland Programme Director at Amnesty International, said:

“The Scottish Government’s failure to bring forward the Human Rights Bill in the Programme for Government represents the breaking of a promise to people and communities in Scotland who so urgently need it. 

Right now, people across Scotland are living without access to their basic everyday rights; locked into poverty, living in unacceptable housing, and unable to get the healthcare they need. They have now effectively been told that the changes the Human Rights Bill would bring to their lives are not a priority for this government. That is simply not acceptable. 

The First Minister stated in his Programme for Government that tackling poverty, promoting prosperity, improving public services and addressing the climate emergency were his government’s priorities. The failure to deliver the Human Rights Bill undermines every single one of those priorities and lets down the people who need it the most. If the Scottish Government is serious about being a champion of human rights then it will think again, do the right thing, prioritise the Human Rights Bill, and bring it forward by February 2025 at the latest.”